1. Technical Field of the Disclosure
The present invention is related in general to plant self-watering systems, and in particular to a multiple potted-plant self-watering system that provides a means for fluidly connected pots on a sloped surface to dry down in unison.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the growing and maintenance of small plants and agricultural plantings there is a need to provide water or an applicable nourishing liquid to the root system of a plant in a controlled manner, on a substantially continuous basis, and in correct amounts. This allows the particular plant to feed itself as needed, without the damaging effects of overwatering. The most significant problem in tending to potted plants is watering and feeding them. Generally, the gardener must individually tend to each potted plant, determining when and how much water and food to provide to each plant. Plants of different types may require different amounts of water or water at different intervals. Whether of the same or a different type, plants located in sunny versus shaded areas or located in different types or sizes of pots may all have different levels of water usage. Thus, a gardener may need to tend various plants on an everyday basis, watering and/or feeding different plants on different days. Even this difficult tending process requires the presence of the gardener. Thus, when a homeowner leaves their home for a period of time, such as for a vacation, the homeowner must find another party to tend to the plants or else they may die.
Non-self watering planters often require daily attention to check soil moisture and water as needed. It is also common for under and overwatering to occur when the plants are not checked often enough or if too much water is given. In order to avoid the disadvantages associated with manual watering, various self-watering systems are known in the prior art. In the case of outdoor plants, automated irrigation systems are known. These systems generally utilize pipes to deliver water from a source to a sprinkler head or the like, from which the water is dispensed. A timer may be configured to turn valves on and off, thus controlling the flow of water through the pipes. In other multiple watering systems, such as multiple plant drip systems, each plant generally receives an equal amount of water. Drip systems have developed means to vary the flow rate at each particular drip point. However, they are not very precise. Common drawbacks to drip systems include overly saturated soil, drainage through the bottom of the pot, and under watering.
Typically, a conventional planting pot includes a floor having a centrally located aperture, which serves as a drain hole when the plant has been over watered. Draining through the bottom of the pot is wasteful and can be a nuisance, such as when water drains from the deck of an upper apartment to an apartment below. It is typical for such a planting pot to be placed on the interior of a larger outer container or pot to contain excess watering liquid that the potting soil cannot contain. The result from this configuration sometimes leads to an over-watering which can virtually drown and kill the plant, or result in root rot, which will have the same effect due to water accumulating in the container or pot.
Bottom watering plant containers are known to offer several advantages over conventional plant containers requiring top watering. For example, there is less loss of water to the surrounding air due to evaporation with bottom watering, and therefore less watering is required to maintain the desired soil moisture levels. Additionally, bottom watering causes less run-off of fertilizers and other soil treatments relative to top watering, resulting in greater retention of fertilizers and other treatments. Various systems have been proposed to allow automatic bottom watering.
Currently there exist various irrigation systems to automatically carry out watering of multiple cultivation pots fluidly connected in series to allow a single source of water from a standard water faucet or a standard garden water hose to provide irrigation water to all of said cultivation pots.
Recent advancements in the art provide a multi-container system comprising a plurality of containers in fluid connection with one another such that the containers may be installed and watered daisy chain style as space limitations permit or as may be desired by the user. The system comprises at least one first container, at least one second container, and at least one third container, each of which has a chamber therein. The first container has a water-retaining chamber with water input and water output as well as a water self-leveling means. The second container has a water transfer chamber in which a wicking tray loaded with a wicking medium is placed, preferably on a drainage tray; said medium being used to transfer the water to the plants is disposed in a third container's plant receiving chamber. The plant receiving chamber nests within the water transfer chamber to receive water therefrom by capillary action. The first container's water-retaining chamber is fluidly connected to the second container for water transfer. However, if there were an elevation change between or among containers, water would more readily flow to the lower containers at the detriment to those on higher ground. Hence, certain plants were overwatered while certain other plants were under watered.
One of the existing plant watering systems includes a multiple plant container self-watering system, which through use of an adjustable wicking system maintains for a plurality of plants a uniform water draw rate despite varying water depths among containers. The invention comprises a primary container and a plurality of secondary containers in fluid connection with one another such that when water is supplied to one container it flows through to all other containers. Gravity ensures water depth remains constant among containers on flat ground, but to offset differences in depth caused by elevation differences among containers, a wick elevator is provided so the wick may be vertically adjusted to the water level. However, the system requires a high degree of user involvement for setup. In an alternate embodiment, flat plates are used to raise a container to the same elevation as the highest container in the place of wick elevators. However, the flat plates contribute an added expense to the system, as well as a hassle of dealing with a large number of flat plates and the high degree of user involvement that accompanies it.
Another existing plant watering system comprises a plurality of tapering plant pots, capable of mounting one upon another in a staggered fashion, to provide a series of stacked planters. A bottom planter is shaped to provide for its accommodations upon a deck rail, or the bottom planter may locate within a tray, even one that contains casters, to provide freedom for movement upon a patio, deck, or other floor. Contained within each of the stackable containers, and also within the bottom planter, is an elevated base, containing perforations, and a series of downwardly depending slotted wells, the latter into which potting soil may be located, for submerging into any water contained within water reservoirs provided within the bottom of each container, or bottom planter, to achieve migration of water upwardly into the potting soil, for irrigation and moisturization of the root system of any planted vegetation. Accumulated water is allowed to drain from the planting pot into one or more planters arranged and stacked therebelow, in order to provide for multiple planter watering, whenever moisture is added to the upper planters, during usage. However, multiple planter watering is provided only when the planters are stacked on top of another and not arranged along a ground surface.
Various other plant-watering systems exist that provide automatic, controlled delivery of water to the root systems of a plurality of plants on a substantially continuous basis. Some systems include water feed pipes and drainpipes connected to a water feed regulator in each plant container connected in series, and one end of the water feed pipe is simultaneously connected to a supply source for water. The water is then periodically fed from the supply source to store a prescribed amount of the water in a water tank in each plant container. Some other systems include an enclosed chamber or tubing with multiple openings and a plurality of improved plant watering devices adapted to be attached to the openings. Some systems supply water to potted plants through feeder conduits fluidly connecting with the lower ends of the plants and leading from a main distribution conduit to which the water is admitted from a water main or other pressurized source. However, all such plant-watering systems are suitable for level ground only and not for sloping or inclined surfaces.
Based on the foregoing, there is a demonstrable need for a plant self-watering system that provides a means for fluidly connected pots that are on a sloped surface to dry down in unison. Such a needed multiple plant container self-watering system would comprise a plurality of fluidly connected units on a sloping surface connected by means of tubing. The plurality of fluidly connected units would include at least one primary container to which an external water supply is connected and a plurality of secondary containers. Each of the containers would comprise an outer shell that encloses a grow pot, a reservoir pot and a wick. Further, the reservoir pot would comprise an expanded upper portion and a tubular lower portion, which would allow all the containers to begin dry down at approximately the same time. Such a needed plant watering system would maintain roughly the same moisture level in the growing media of each of the plurality of units. Finally, the multiple plant container self-watering system would be easy to assemble and would require little to no user involvement. The present invention overcomes prior art shortcomings by accomplishing these critical objectives.